K.O: AKA And I Bring The Best Out Of Each Other

K.O is more than just a rapper, but a businessman and a pioneer.

By  | Oct 26, 2020, 07:50 AM  | K. O  | Top of The

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K.O recently released his new single, “Lucky Star,” to favorable reviews from hip-hop lovers. In effort to promote the single, K.O allowed for ZAlebs to have a telephonic interview where he discussed the new single, his musical plans, the business of Skhanda World and his silence over the comments from Nhlamulo “LavidaNota” Baloyi.

Read next: K.O: I've Opened More Doors For Others Than Any Other Hip Hop Artist In SA

“Lucky Star” is the rapper’s new single. The song marks the rapper’s first lead single following the release of the “Shimmy” music video. The song stands as independent single from his 2019 released single, “PTY UnLtd.”  When asked about the reception the single has released K.O stated that, “I am humbled, and excited at the same time.” 

The rapper went on to confirm that the single is scheduled to release the visuals for the single by stating, 

“We are shooting the music video (at the end of October). I want to pull all the stops. I mean, it is what I have been doing; pushing the envelope with visuals and being creative by thinking outside the box.”
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K.O pioneering spirit when it comes to creating standout visuals for his music videos is a collaborative effort production house; The Islanders. The partnership resulted in K.O winning the 2019/ 2020 SAMA for “Music Video of the Year.” But their partnership has been going on for years with all the visuals currently released under the Skhanda World umbrella. Speaking about their relationship this is what Mr CashTime had to say: 

“We have become friends by the virtue of work. They are a bunch of young guys who are daring from a creative stand point. And they are also as meticulous as I am. I also happen to have a great synergy with them.”

Before the release of the new single, K.O had released a Skhanda World single titled a “Cold Summer,” featuring kwesta, and Skhanda world’s Loki and introduced new signee, Roiii. The single marks the second Skhanda World release following the first single, “Killa Combo,” featuring Mariechan, Zingah,  Tellaman and Loki. The rapper explained in detail the difference between a K.O release versus a Skhanda World release stating that:

“A Skhanda World release is more about pushing the labels. (It is) Skhanda World’s artists that are on roster coming together. It is more of a branding exercise for the recording label. And a K.O release is a song that is coming out of the K.O brand.”

Currently, the Skhanda World Records aspect of the brand has introduced the two aforementioned artists, Loki and Roiii. But the rapper was quick to clarify that there are already more artists signed under the record label. K.O then discussed how he went about choosing the artists under his roster stating that:

“I am not necessarily looking for one artist, or a version of me in the next artist I am working with. I am looking for someone that is talented that is on the same page as myself, (that is) like-minded.”  

An interesting detail about the Skhanda World record label is that it is looking for more than just hip-hop artists. K.O stated that, “We are going to continue signing more artists; not necessarily hip-hop artist. But we are looking for artists in different genres; anything that works and makes sense to the Skhanda World brand.”

The rapper went on to reiterate that the rest of the year, his focus is set on releasing singles, music videos and features. And speaking on features K.O shared that the his fans can look forward to the reunion of his “Run Jozi” collaborator, AKA.  

Speaking on the matter he stated that that; 

“We have a new song coming out and I want to make that the chemistry stays there. So I am not one to run to social media and say whatever.”

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This touched on the recent trending topic following Nota’s sentiments on the “Run Jozi” song, and who was better on the AKA led single. K.O made it clear that he has changed from his old self that would address the matter without considering the implication.  But he did provide clarity on his silence by saying:
“It is personal more than anything. So I can’t feed too much into because people have their own opinion six years later. To me it wasn’t so much a competition. When you get on a song, especially when I am with the homie (AKA) we bring the best out of each other. But it was never the intention to say this one is better than the other.”

Having said what he needed to say on the matter we moved on to speak about his upcoming album. Many have demanded that K.O release “SR3.” But K.O made it clear that fans should not expect a release titled by that title. In his words:

“As far as titles are concerned, I am not too keen on pursuing the “SR3,” as much as I would like to. Because the thing is that people expect that when an album is called "Skhanda Republic 2 or 3," they are expecting that everything will sound like the first album. And music changes, and trends change too; and as an artist your mindset changes too as well.”

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But musician did make a concession by stating that he is planning to release a “Mission Statement 3.” Speaking on the matter, he explained that: 

“I think that that is the one record that I can speak my mind. No filter, and it is mostly based on where I am. But is it also about checking the game, so to speak. It is track to say, “Why are we doing this, why are we doing that- Let’s get it right. So there are controversial quotes that people can reference.”

But the rapper was quick to acknowledge that in the past his lyrics could be misconstrued to have misogynistic content. However, K.O stated that moving forward he will conscious of the lyrics and the narrative he punts with his songs and brand.   

In ending the interview did reflect on being in the industry for 15 years. K.O ended off by advising that aspiring young artists to use his failures and wins as a template on how to navigate the music industry. 

Main Image Credit: Instagram

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